End-of-life notice: American Legal Ethics Library

As of March 1, 2013, the Legal Information Institute is no longer maintaining the information in the American Legal Ethics Library. It is no longer possible for us to maintain it at a level of completeness and accuracy given its staffing needs. It is very possible that we will revive it at a future time. At this point, it is in need of a complete technological renovation and reworking of the "correspondent firm" model which successfully sustained it for many years.

Many people have contributed time and effort to the project over the years, and we would like to thank them. In particular, Roger Cramton and Peter Martin not only conceived ALEL but gave much of their own labor to it. We are also grateful to Brad Wendel for his editorial contributions, to Brian Toohey and all at Jones Day for their efforts, and to all of our correspondents and contributors. Thank you.

We regret any inconvenience.

Some portions of the collection may already be severely out of date, so please be cautious in your use of this material.

ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct
(pre-2002)

[1] A firm
may be designated by the names of all or some of its members, by the names
of deceased members where there has been a continuing succession in the firm's
identity or by a trade name such as the "ABC Legal Clinic. " Although the
United States Supreme Court has held that legislation may prohibit the use
of trade names in professional practice, use of such names in law practice
is acceptable so long as it is not misleading. If a private firm uses a trade
name that includes a geographical name such as "Springfield Legal Clinic,"
an express disclaimer that it is a public legal aid agency may be required
to avoid a misleading implication. It may be observed that any firm name including
the name of a deceased partner is, strictly
speaking, a trade name. The use of such names to designate law firms has proven
a useful means of identification. However, it is misleading to use the name
of a lawyer not associated with the firm or a predecessor of the firm.

[2] With regard to paragraph
(d), lawyers sharing office facilities, but who are not in fact partners,
may not denominate themselves as,for example, "Smith and Jones," for that
title suggests partnership in the practice of law.

Model Code Comparison

With regard to paragraph (a), DR 2-102(A) provided that
"[a] lawyer . . . shall not use . . . professional announcement cards . .
. letterheads, or similar professional notices or devices, except . . . if
they are in dignified form . . . ." DR 2-102(B) provided that "[a] lawyer
in private practice shall not practice under a trade name, a name that is
misleading as to the identity of the lawyer or lawyers practicing under such
name, or a firm name containing names of other than those of one or more of
the lawyers in the firm, except that . . . a firm may use as . . . its name
the name or names of one or more deceased or retired members of the firm or
of a predecessor firm in a continuing line of succession."

With regard to paragraph (b), DR 2-102(D) provided that
a partnership "shall not be formed or continued between or among lawyers licensed
in different jurisdictions unless all enumerations of the members and associates
of the firm on its letterhead and in other permissible listings make clear
the jurisdictional limitations on those members and associates of the firm
not licensed to practice in all listed jurisdictions; however, the same firm
name may be used in each jurisdiction."

With regard to paragraph (c), DR 2-102(B) provided that
"[a] lawyer who assumes a judicial, legislative, or public executive or administrative
post or office shall not permit his name to remain in the name of a law firm
. . . during any significant period in which he is not actively and regularly
practicing law as a member of the firm . . . ."